Tyre puncture repair equipment to pack
I'll hopefully soon be getting my new bike, which will be the first time I've ridden a tubeless set up. It seems like these are the items people say you should pack on a ride in case of a puncture:
- Inner tube
- Portable pump
- CO2 canister/charger
- Plugs
Why would I need both an inner tube/pump and a CO2 charger? Or indeed either if I have sealant and plugs (ok for this one I presume it's in case the hole is too large, or get a pinch flat?)?
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The idea behind carrying a tube is if you are unable to repair a tubeless tyre or reseat it after internal repair. Sadly some tyre rim combinations are a mare to get apart / reseat. Some Co2 applicator / guns are better than others and once the cartridge is started won't always hold the unused Co2. Screw type better than push type. They tend to stick / freeze open therefore losing all contents. You shouldn't get a pinch flat on a tubeless setup as normally an innertube problem. I normally carry worms and recently started to carry Stans darts. If going very long distances I still carry a tube, tyre boot, adhesive along with workshop / surgical type gloves. Remember to check sealant levels occasionally as it drys out. I also carry a spare valve and tool to remove and refit. Sounds like a lot to carry but it's not to bad tbh.
Too many bikes according to Mrs O.2 -
Sorry for the delay. Thanks for that.
If my bike is coming set up for tubeless, do I still need to worry about getting tubeless tire valves, or would the manufacturer/shop use them already? I ask because there seem to be a few 'best tubeless tire valve' group reviews around, with people liking Reserve Fillmore Valves. Not sure if it's one of those things I really need to worry about though.
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You don't necessarily need the complete valve and stem just the valve insert and a tool to remove and fit. The biggest issue with the valve inserts is that the sealant can dry in them, and you can get slow air leaks from them after say topping up with air.
Too many bikes according to Mrs O.0 -
Thanks. Wouldn't the bike come with the right valve insert or should I get that separately? And what tool would I need to remove and fit? I haven't seen a valve removal/fitting tool I don't think.
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I normally get mine from the bay of plenty or local bike shop if needed quickly.
Theinserts would be for spares.
Too many bikes according to Mrs O.1 -
I went tubeless nearly 15 years ago, long before all the debate about which sealant, which tubeless valves, which kit to carry etc. Then the debate was tubeless or not and there were plenty on the NOT side! Who cared about which sealant or valve? I don't recall any debate on those topics. So @joah Relax! Don't overthink it. :)
Rest assured that going tubeless will be the best thing you have done to your bike since dropper seatposts. (Awaits arguments!) You will develop likes and dislikes with respect to which sealant as you ride. Which tubeless tyre valve will be of minimal concern. After 15 years I have only just specified a tubeless valve, and that was only because someone wanted to buy me some for Xmas!
I always carry the following even before I went tubeless:
1 x spare inner tube. (But that was before bikes that had two different wheel sizes and the tyre widths were fairly close to each other front vs rear.
1 x set of inner tube patches. They come in handy even if you are tubeless, to fix the tube you have just fitted.
1x mini-pump. I also have 2 metres of Gaffer tape wrapped around the handle. (Who can't find a use for Gaffer tape!)
1 x set of tyre levers. Essential; if you can't get the tyre off on at least one side to access rips for the gaffer tape, or to insert a tube, you are stuffed.
4 x kitchen towels, folded and in my shorts pocket. (Snot wipes, wound dressings, oil wipes, arse wipes, hand wipes ......)
Since first going tubeless, this is what I carried in addition to the above.
1 x set of tyre patches. These go inside the tube if the hole or tear is too big to seal. Gaffer tape makes a good patch if doubled up.
Er, that was it! :)
I had many years of riding tubeless and had zero flats. I had loads of punctures, but no flats. Then I had two faulty tyres that tore at the bead after about 700 miles. Not even a tube could help. Both replaced under warranty. That is the sum total of 15 years of riding tubeless. So I needn't have carried all that stuff. But I'm certain that if I hadn't carried it, my experience would have been worse. Of course it would; we've all heard of Sod's Law! :(
Then I went to an ebike, that had not only big and wide tyres but also different sizes front to rear. Currently, I have 29 x 2.5 front and 27.5 x 2.6 rear. You should see the size and weight of the inner tubes for them! There is no way I'm going to be carrying both and one is not enough. Instead, I bought some super strong latex tubes that weigh 35g each vs 300g and take up about one tenth of the room, and probably much less.
I also bought some worms and the means to use them. Some call them "bacon strips"; whatever. All they are is narrow strips of rubbery textile about 2" long. They are pushed into a hole in the tyre that is too big for the sealant to seal. They are left half in and half out. The sealant can then do its job. The surplus sticking out soon wears off, or you can cut it off it you prefer. You can make the strips out of an old inner tube, easy to do with a pair of scissors. They take up little room. The insertion tool looks like a small screwdriver with a forked point. Make your own!
The key things with riding tubeless, in my opinion, are as follows:
If the sealant is the type that has particles or crumbs in it, then shake the bloody bottle before you pour it into your tyre! The sealant relies on those particles to block the hole and stop the sealant from jetting out into the air. I use the particle type and I have never been successful at pouring the sealant down the valve hole, even with the valve core removed! Instead, I release part of the tyre bead and pour in the required amount of top up. No faff, no mess!
Check your tyre pressure before every ride. Get a digital tyre pressure gauge (Topeak Di2). Ideally the pressure should remain constant, but every time you have a puncture (and it will be many, even though you no longer notice), you will lose some air. It will slowly build up and you may notice that you are losing maybe as much 2-3 psi per week. As long as it stays there you will be fine, it's manageable. But every puncture also leads to some sealant loss. The latex-based sealants also dry out inside the tyre and stop being effective. This may take 4-6 months depending upon conditions, how many punctures and how much sealant you started with. For me the early indicator is pressure loss. If after 4-6 months you start to add more psi than usual, then it's probably time for a sealant top up.
Have fun with tubeless and stop worrying about the small details. :)
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Thanks for that.
Thanks very much once again Steve. I have actually just ordered a Topeak Di2 based on your prior recommendation.
I didn't mean to fret the small details - was just trying to make sure I didn't get caught out unaware of anything I should know about.
Re topping up sealant - I presume at some point one should scrape out the dried old sealant - do you do this at top-up time or just periodically?
Btw funnily, I was looking at Stans No Holes Sealant - which seems to be a mix of particles and latex. Although I know I won't need to worry about it for a while as the shop will presumably put sealant in on set-up.
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When it came time to top up the sealant, I used to scrape out the old stuff. That might be worth doing if you were deciding to use a different type of sealant (water based vs latex based for example). But I stopped bothering. The old sealant that you are scraping out is doing a job of work, so leave it there. If you are removing the tyre anyway, for example changiung from winter to summer, then by all means seize the opportunity. I find the caps off the aerosol spray cans make good scoops to get the old fluid out, but I haven't found a really good scraper yet.
I used to use a water based sealant by Puncture Guard, they had XC and DH versions. It never went off like the latex ones do. It was fluorescent green and showed the puncures as green dots when the bike was left overnight. I counted over two dozen punctures in each tyre at one point! I liked it a lot, despite the fact that it took longer to completely seal the porous walls in tyres that were not "tubeless ready". Then Puncture Guard either went out of business or stopped supplying the UK, but I couldn't get it any more. I started to use Continental's Revo sealant (latex with bits in it) for the simple reason that I was using Conti tyres at the time. I still had some Revo in the garage when I chnaged my bike and converted to tubeless. The tyres weren't Conti, but the Revo worked just fine. Its claim to fame is that it is ammonia free and does not attack the tyre components.
Ask the shop what they put in your tyres.
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Thanks again. Yes, think I'll just ask the shop that - and what lube they use, etc.
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I've got latex based sealant in my road gravel and mtb,s and as Steve mentions i leave it in when it goes hard. It's a royal PIA to remove.
Too many bikes according to Mrs O.1
